Block-turning apparatus



T. ROTHERAM.

BLOCK TURNING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 1, 1911.

1339,1323. Patented May 4,1920.

ATTORN IVS.

INVENTOR- V UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS ROTI-IERAM, 0F OREIGHTON, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO PITTSBURGH PLATE GLASS COMPANY, A CORPORATION .OF PENNSYLVANIA,

BLOCK-TURNING APPARATUS.

Application filed September 7, 1917.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, THOMAS ROTHERAM, a citizen of the United States, residing at Creighton, in the county'of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Block- Turning Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to apparatus for turning blocks and is particularly designed for turning the clay blocks used in furnace construction. Such blocks are often very large and heavy, weighing as much as four hundred pounds, and it is necessary that they should be turned repeatedly to bring the va rious sides up for grinding, it being desirable that the fit between the blocks in forming a furnace wall be close and accurate in order to reduce the size of the crevices at the joints to a minimum. It is the purpose of the invention; to provide an improved construction for turning the blocks, in which the labor involved in turning the heavy blocks is reduced to a minimum; to provide a device of simple construction in which no jarring or danger of breakage of the blocks in handling is involved; and the provision of a device in whose operation any chipping off of the corners of the blocks is avoided. One embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a plan view of the apparatus, and Fig. 2 is a side elevation, the clamping device at the left-hand end of the apparatus being shown in a different position in this figure from that of Fig; 1, and the dotand-dash line indicating the various positions of the block during its movement along the device.

In itspreferred form the apparatus comprises a base 1 upon which are pivoted the brackets 2, 3 and 4, each of such brackets consisting of two angular members keyed or otherwise rigidly secured to the shafts 5, 6 and 7, such shafts being provided with square ends adapted to receive the operating handle 8.

The dotted rectangles A, B, G and D indicate a clay block in its four different positions permitting of the grinding or smoothing of the four sides. This grinding occurs after the blocks are dried but before they are burned. The reference numeral 9 indi-' cates the grinding or smoothing device which is preferably mounted upon a crane Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 4, 1920.

Serial No. 190,263.

(not shown) so that it may be moved to any desired. position above the base 1.

The block ,is first brought to the ri hthand end of the base upon a truck or suitable carrying device, and slid to the position marked A after which the upper surface is ground. The handle 8 is then swung to the left through ninety degrees, bringing the block to the position marked B at which time the arms on the brackets 2 and 3 overlap. After grinding the upper surface of the block in this position the bracket 3 is similarly swung to the left bringing the block to the position C, and thus presenting its third side uppermost for grinding. After the third side is ground the bracket & is swung to the left bringing the block to the position D with its fourth side uppermost and in position for grinding. Four sides of the block are thus ground, leaving only the two end surfaces of the block not ground.

To secure the grinding of the ends the block is slid to the left of the position 1) upon the clamping device, such device being pivoted upon the member 11) and comprising a bottom plate 11, and a top plate 12 which is preferably swiveled at 13. The top plate 12 carries the screw 14- provided with an operating wheel 15 and a bottom plate 16 swiveled to the screw and adapted to e11- gage the uppersurfare of the block. The plate 16 is preferably provided on its under side with a pad of relatively yielding material, such-as felt or leather, to avoid injury to the surface of the block when the plate 16 is screwed down tightly into position.

After the plate 16 is screwed down into engagement with the block, the clamping device is rotated about its pivot 10 so as to bring the end of the block uppermost, the position of the parts at this time being indicated in Fig. 1. After the grinding of this end of the block the clamping device can be rotated one hundred and eighty degrees, bringing the other end of the block uppermost for grinding. A truck may then be moved under the end'of the block and the clamping plate 16 released, thus completing the operation. The swiveling of the plate 12 permits this plate and the device carried thereby to be swung back out of position when the truck moves laterally to carry the block away.

As an alternative method of handling the block in the clamping device, such device may be brought back to the position indicated in Fig. 2 before the plate 16 is released. The block is then shoved endwise upon a truck which. has its receiving surface alined with the bottom plate 11 of the clamp.

The brackets 2, 3 and 4 are preferably stopped or limited in their extreme position of movement by means of the flanges 17 and 18 with which the ends of the bracket arms engage. The carrying surfaces of the intersecting bracket arms are also preferably cut away, as indicated at 19, so that the corners of the blocks do not engage the arms, which arrangement tends to prevent breakage of the corners during the handling operations. In order to accurately position the clan'iping device in its two grinding positions, a pair of holes 20 are provided on opposite sides of the pivot 10 with which holes the pin 21 carried by the support 10 is adapted to cooperate when the device is in either one of its two extreme positions.

The apparatus as illustrated and described permits the handling of blocks of very considerable weight without difficulty and without danger of injury, such as is incident to the manual handling heretofore practised. Very little time is consumed in the positioning of the blocks and they are positioned truly for all the various grinding operations. The apparatus is of simple construction and has no working parts which are liable to wear out or get out of order. Other advantages incident to the construction will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art.

What I claim is:

1. A turning device for blocks comprising a series of brackets, each. having a pair of supporting members at substantially right angles to each other, the said brackets being pivoted adjacent the intersection of said members and limited to swing so that in one extreme position one member is substantially horizontal'and in the other extreme position the other member is substantially horizontal, the said supporting members of adjacent brackets overlapping when one bracket is in delivering position and the other in receiving position.

2. A turning device for blocks compris ing a series of brackets, each having a pair of members at substantially right angles to each other, the said brackets being pivoted adjacent the intersection of the members and limited to swing so that in one extreme position one member is substantially horizontal and in the other extreme position the other member is substantially horizontal, and the brackets being so positioned relatively that when one bracket is swung forward from its normal position its upright member moves to overlapping position with respect to the horizontal member of the next bracket.

A turning device for blocks compris ing a plurality of brackets arranged in a horizontal series one after the other, pivoted transversely and each having a pair of arms at right angles to each other, and a clamp arranged at the end of said series and open toward said brackets to receive a block therefrom and pivoted so as to swing laterally.

4. A turning device for blocks comprising a plurality of brackets arranged in a horizontal series one after the other, pivoted transversely and each having a pair of arms at right angles to each other, and a clamp arranged at the end of said series and open toward said brackets to receive a block therefrom and pivoted so as to swing laterally, said clamp comprising a bottom plate for receiving a block from the horizontal arms of the adjacent bracket and a top clamping plate with means for moving it toward the bottom plate.

5. A turning device for blocks comprising a plurality of brackets arranged in a horizontal seriesone after the other, pivoted transversely and each having a pair of arms at right angles to each. other, and a clamp arranged at the end of said series and open toward said brackets to receive a block therefrom and pivoted so as to swing laterally, said clamp comprising a bottom plate for receiving a block from the horizontal arms of the adjacent bracket and a top clamping plate swiveled so as to move laterally from a position above the bottom plate and provided with operating means for moving it toward'the bottom plate to engage the block thereon.

6. A turning device for blocks compris ing a series of pivoted turning members each having two supporting surfaces at right angles to each other, one of which is upright and the other horizontal when the members are in their extreme positions, and arranged so that the upright surface of-one member may be brought into alinement with the horizontal surface of the next member, and means at the end of said series of turning members for engaging the blocks and turning them so that the two ends thereof are successively turned uppermost.

7. A block turning device comprising a series of pivoted cradles, each adapted to receive a block and turn it through an angle of degrees, said cradles being arranged so that when one cradle is tilted from operative position it delivers the block to the next cradle with another face turned uppermost, and a final cradle at the end of the series of cradles adapted to receive the block and turn it at right angles to its previous direction of movement whereby the ends of the block may be successively turned uppermost.

THOMAS ROTHERAM. 

